NAVY NEWS, APRIL 2009 51
The school of hard Nock... Submariner Mike Nock
●
prepares to strike during one of the two victories over the
Nationale
RAN during the U23 Combined Services tour
treasure
marina Continued from page 52
Half time and the RN were 15-10
behind.
Whatever was said at halftime
certainly had the right effect on
the Britons.
For the fi rst time in the match
they started to put structure to
their attacks and it seemed it was
only a matter of time.
The fi rst move of the half saw
Josh tripped ten metres short of
the goal line with the ever-present
Matt Parker in support awaiting
the scoring pass.
However from a scrum shortly
afterwards Navy replacement
No.8, Gaz Evans, picked the ball
up and strolled over the line at an
almost leisurely pace. Rob Lloyd
nailed the conversion and for the
fi rst time in the match the Navy
were in the lead, 17-15.
The applause had barely faded
when the RN were again on the
attack. A simple cut back allowed
Rob Lloyd the freedom to attack
down the blindside against an
isolated defence. He made the
conversion easy for himself:
24-15.
The French have always been
resilient and the score prompted
them to renew their efforts.
With a couple of replacements
freshening up their forward
drives, they forced the RN to
show considerable commitment
in defence.
Time and time again the
British blue line stood fi rm but
eventually it was breached and
Marine Nationale were back in
the match with their third try to
Aussies ruled
leave the game delicately poised
at 24-20.
In keeping with the topsy-turvy
match, the RN showed that they
had more to give.
Another move started from
High hoops
SIX RN personnel were specially
With RN midfielders Kerr and Nock on fire, the
their own half saw centre and
selected to represent the Combined
CS managed to soak up the bombardment only
man of the match Calum McCrae
put in to space and, with one man
Services U23 hockey squad for their
to concede in the last play of the half whilst one
of our players was off thanks to a yellow card.
to beat, his step inside took him
tour to Australia, writes Cpl Chris The whistle at the end of the half was welcomed
under the posts for what proved
Brady, CS U23 manager.
greatly by all and gave me a chance to talk to the
to be a crucial try. Rob Lloyd’s
Unfortunately, due to a series of injuries
players and change the formation to better suit
conversion gave the Navy an
HMS Nelson was the
that they could win. and operational requirements, only four RN the match, noticing some holes in the Australian
eleven point cushion at 31-20.
Under normal circumstance
venue for this year’s
Captain Lt Sasha Miller (pictured personnel were lucky enough to travel: setup during the first half.
the RN would have looked to
Inter-Service netball
above by LA(Phot) Luron Wright) S/Lt Tim Lomas, LS Graham Kerr, submariner The next 35 minutes was set to be an uphill
encouraged her team throughout Mike Nock and Mne Sean Frank, all participated struggle for players and management alike.
control the match to the end.
championships – now in and the shooters – Lt Amanda
in the high profile, 21,500-mile round trip,
In the first move of the game from the CS
However a mix-up at the base
their 53rd year.
Heal and Lt Cdr Katherine competing against one of the biggest hockey – a break from the defence – Kerr threaded a
of what had been a very secure
On paper, both RN teams had
Rackham – kept their nerve against nations in the world. pinpoint pass down the line for one of his Army
scrummage allowed the Marine
a very good chance of success
a good RAF defence. With the Unlike most interpretations of sports tours, counterparts to put away the chance, putting us
Nationale scrumhalf to break
away and nip over for a well-taken
against the RAF and the Army,
combination of good shooting and this was to be one of the most challenging and on the front foot for the first time in the game.
individual try which was against
writes RN 2nd team coach Lt Linda
interceptions from the RN defence intense tours in CS history – six matches in 12 This was a big lift for the team, as we raised
the run of play but nevertheless
Harris.
of CPO(CT) Pippa Dredge, days, playing against some of the best teams in the pace and with captain Lomas having such a
well-deserved by a player who had
The 2nd teams (previously
POLogs(SC) Michelle Curry and Australia in temperatures in excess of 35˚C. solid game, it allowed Army midfielder Biggs to
been the heartbeat of the French
‘development’ teams) were fi rst to
LMEA Lyndsay Oldridge, the RN It started with a match against district civilian piush upfront to add more pressure.
team.
take to the courts. The standard
won the game, 38-34. team Ryde. The gamble paid off and Biggs fired home
With a little over 13 minutes to
of all the 2nd teams was very high
Hopes were high going into With all the Brits suffering from jet lag, this two well-worked goals to bring the Combined
go the lead was once more back
and the matches closely-fought.
the fi nal day of the tournament. was a real test of character – and turned into a Services back to 3-3, but with seconds to go,
to a single score at 31-27.
First up were the RAF. The
If the RN were to beat the Army, very convincing (and unexpected) 4-0 win, with Biggs once again saw himself on the end of a
The fi nal ten minutes were to
RN maintained a slight lead
then the tournament trophy would great performances from S/Lt Lomas and Mne well worked offensive move to slot home the
prove bizarre to say the least with
throughout, with Logs(CS)
belong to the RN for the fi rst time Frank in defence helping to keep a clean sheet. winner.
four yellow cards proving to be
Alumita Lutu remaining calm as
in 29 years. Next up were the Australian Defence Force The second match was set to be a great
the source of much post-match
she accurately shot under pressure.
The RN 1st team were all too (ADF). The CS has never beaten the ADF so the contest; with Mne Frank fit to play, we had a few
discussion, not least because the
Assistance from her two goal
aware of the 2nd team’s defeat the pressure was on. aces up our sleeves.
Navy Director of Rugby Lt Cdr
shooters Lt Cdr Kim Mehta and
previous day and did not want the In a very tactical and high-energy game the CS We started the match as we finished it, with
Logs(Pers) Terri Richards ensured
same thing to happen to them. managed a come back from 2-0 down after the Frank in reserve on the bench.
Geraint Ashton Jones had missed
this lead was never broken. The
Logs(Pers) Sarah Bearcroft first half to draw level going into the last quarter Once again we conceded early due to a
one of them – only to be put right
defensive work of Lt Emma Searle,
and Lt Miller provided a strong of the match with a stunning goal created by, LS mistake between captain Lomas and the
by Navy President Admiral Neil
Lt Anna Jones and MA Sarah
RN attack to pressure the Army Graham Kerr releasing one of his RAF colleagues Army keeper, but came back immediately with
Morisetti along with First Sea
Tims ensured that pressure was
defence. Logs(CS) Lizzie Down clear to bring the game back within reach. an intelligent counter-attack which took the
Lord Admiral Sir Jonathon Band
applied on the RAF throughout
supported the shooting to place the Within minutes of the restart a mirrored move, Australians by surprise.
and Lady Sarah.
RN in a good fi ghting position.
The game reduced to 14
the game. The RAF eventually
this time from the right saw Nock firing in a
Both sides’ exchanged goals once again to
The fi rst two quarters were nail-
French players versus 12 Brits;
succumbed to this pressure, losing
pinpoint pass to one of his Army colleagues who
take the match to 2-2 but the Australians came
biting with numerous interceptions
the RN replacement wing Sili
the match 31-24.
put away the winner making history for the CS
back with a well-worked strike just before the
and fast-paced attack. The pace
Buinimasi deservedly the fi rst to
The next morning, the second
U23’s with a sensational 3-2 win.
break to put us behind.
was so fast, and the defence so
go following a late body check on
team faced the Army knowing that
With an increasing list of injuries, the CS team
Half time gave us an ideal opportunity to bring
rigorous, collisions were inevitable.
his opposite number.
a win would seal the 2nd team
only had ten players for a match against Briars –
on Frank in defence plus in-form RAF goalkeeper
The RN goal defence suffered an Australian grand finalists the previous year. Thompson.
Sili was followed by
title.
ankle injury and Lt Searle took Even the CS physio was forced to pick up a The marine had an immediate impact on the
replacement Gaz Evans who was
Captain Surg Lt Cdr Lindsay
to the court, having been selected stick and play. Needless to say, the Brits were game allowing the midfield to push forward
alleged to have joined a ruck
Falla guided the RN into a lead by
from the 2nd team after her strong heavily defeated. resulting in the CS scoring within the first
without using his arms. A harsh
the end of the second quarter, and
performance. The squad nevertheless came away from the five minutes of the second period, followed
call – particularly in consideration
the Army were under pressure.
She worked hard with match in good spirit regardless of the result, immediately by another with the very next phase
of what had been a very physical
The soldiers were not willing to
CPO(CT) Dredge but the Army which could have been more embarrassing of play.
mainly fair contest.
give up and fought back, closing
were the stronger team and took without an awesome individual performance The Australians however came back with a
The next two yellow cards were
the gap entirely to leave the score
the lead, widening the gap in the from Mne Frank in defence which kept the vengeance, but some fine work in the CS net by
probably the result of everyone
25-25 at the end of the quarter.
fi nal quarter to win 50-36. score down, although the Royal picked up a Thompson and the RN duo of Lomas and Frank
feeling the pressure as the match.
The fi nal quarter of the match
“The RN teams have come so shoulder injury after making a superb last-ditch in defence kept us on top.
Following a maul that had been
was tense and the Army attacked
far in the last four years that we are diving tackle to prevent a certain goal for the With the Australians tiring, we took the brought to ground – fairly – by
with vigour.
no longer the ‘whipping boys’ but opposition. opportunity to push the game further and finished Navy No.4 Damo Chambers and
Although the RN fought back,
are now credible contenders,” said With the squad back to almost full strength with a flurry of two fine goals to make it 6-3 and the Marine Nationale decided
the Army managed to take – and
RN coach Lt Cdr Arty Shaw. thanks to the physio, we were able to work on take the match out of sight – a fitting conclusion to continue their own brand of
extend – the lead, despite brave
“With a bit of luck and two some more advanced tactics and experiment to a very successful series of matches for entente cordiale. Many probably
efforts from the Navy attack of
consistent games in the bag we will with formations ahead of the two important Combined Services hockey. thought a penalty would have
AB (CIS) Michelle Taylor and
be winners very shortly. finale matches against the Australian Navy. All in all, this tour was a huge success, with suffi ced but both offenders were
Logs(SC) Camilla Hodgson. It “Playing in the South regional
Still without star RN defender Frank, who
every one exceeding all expectations from both sent to the by-now crowded sin
was a tense quarter, but the RN league has certainly helped the
was suffering from the shoulder injury, and with
myself and the hockey world, with sensational bin.
lost the game 28-36. squad this year and with the
temperatures in excess of 38˚C, we predicted
input from the RN members. Despite the extra space on the
Meanwhile, the main 1st team nucleus of the 1st team playing
that it would be a very tight, hard match.
The CS Hockey Association is continually pitch the last couple of minutes
competition opened with the Army as Navy Blues in the Portsmouth
Our predictions couldn’t have been any more
looking for young talented players for the squad, was dominated by the well-
scraping victory over the RAF by a League, we are developing our
accurate: we were hit with wave after wave
as well as coaches and umpires. organised RN defence.
single goal. core skills. of clever offensive moves by the Australians, If you are interested or require more information With the fi nal whistle and a
The RN 1st team played the “It all bodes well for the resulting in two goals within the first ten minutes please feel free to contact me at bradyc494@ deserved victory by 31–27 RN
RAF on the second day of the forthcoming season and our of play. coningsby.raf.mod.uk. captain Marsh Cormack received
tournament and were confi dent assault on next year’s title.” the Babcock Challenge Trophy.
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